The equipment is the star of the show, the bid catchers are supporting actors—and our auctioneers are the directors of the action. Caught up in the excitement of the day you may not have given it much thought, but these guys are highly-trained masters of the microphone, and for them auction day is game day. Our auctioneers are proud professionals who take their craft and job very seriously. After all, there's a lot of responsibility resting on their shoulders. Not only do they keep the pace of the auction going, they ensure that the process is fair and that every item sells for its true market value on auction day.

"An unreserved auction is the only real way to find the true value of anything. An item's value is determined just by what someone is prepared to pay on any given day."Wayne Yoos - auctioneer with Ritchie Bros. since 1983

Hard work means the best experience for customers.

And besides an amazing ability to talk non-stop at machine gun speed, our auctioneers also have to read the crowd, watch the bid catchers, and react to incoming bids from online bidders. They can do what looks like a hundred things at once, and they make it look easy. It's no surprise that our team of 15 full-time professional auctioneers is widely recognized as the best in the industry.

Our most experienced auctioneer has been a full-time auctioneer since the 1970s; he alone has called thousands of auctions around the world. Our youngest auctioneer was the National Auctioneer Association's International Junior Auctioneer Champion in 2007. And because they all work as full-time auctioneers, our team of auctioneers constantly hone their skills and concentrate on delivering the best experience and the best results for our customers – even long-serving auctioneers like Wayne "Digger" Yoos (nicknamed for his ability to find another gear and "dig" for that next bid).

"I have always done every auction three times: the day before is spent viewing all the items to determine the best method of selling, the day of I concentrate on auction day mechanics and maximizing value, the day after I look at what I could do even better for our customers next time."Wayne Yoos

Our auctioneers live and breathe auctions.

So where and how do Ritchie Bros. auctioneers acquire their skills? Many grew up in auction business families, so selling is truly in their blood. Others come from heavy equipment or farming backgrounds, and already have a lot of valuable knowledge and experience under their belts. Many also attended auctioneering colleges – accredited industry institutions where aspiring auctioneers do everything from developing their auction chant and bid calling, working on voice control and effectiveness, and learning about professional auctioneer ethics, relevant business laws, business operations, marketing and more.

Auctioneering is a career they take seriously, but it's also fun. There's lots of travel – sometimes all around the world for an experienced auctioneer – and they meet and help customers in all kinds of businesses and from all walks of life.

"What I enjoy the most about working for Ritchie Bros., and each and every auction we do, is that I am part of a huge, dedicated team that is doing its best for the customer."Rick Elias – auctioneer with Ritchie Bros. since 2004

See the best-of-the-best in action.

Whether you're buying or selling at Ritchie Bros., you can be confident the auction is being conducted by consummate professionals who keep it fair, fast, and exciting for everyone. Want to see them in action? Join us at one of our upcoming live auctions.